It seems that every year before Christmas, the Beeville area is visited by dozens of Santa’s helpers and a few grinches.

Sadly, this holiday season, it seems the latter are turning up in greater numbers in our community.

First, some vandals, or perhaps more appropriately pyromaniacs, set fire to balled-up paper towels and burned the restrooms at the sparkling, new and improved Flournoy Park.

David Garcia, who coordinates maintenance at the city parks, said employees also found paper wadded in the same fashion inside the restrooms at the Little League field in Veterans Memorial Park.

Then, Beeville police investigators, along with tracking dogs and canine officers from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, searched for evidence at the disturbing scene of a burglary at Moreno Middle School which occurred early Tuesday morning.

The burglars caused extensive damage in several rooms, according to detectives, taking laptops from classrooms and chips and drinks from machines.

Windows were broken, computers and printers were knocked to the floor, pens and papers were scattered and Christmas decorations and other items were strewn over the floors of targeted rooms, including the main office complex and cafeteria.

Detective Lt. Richard Cantu said surveillance photos showed that all four intruders wore masks, hoodies and gloves to hide their identities. Police do not suspect Moreno students were involved in the destruction.

It’s a shame that a few punks and thugs can try to ruin all the good that law-abiding citizens and taxpayers have done, making contributions throughout their lives to better the community.

The vast majority of our residents are good, decent folks who want to give back through such efforts as Christmas Angels, Toys for Tots, the Community Christmas Dinner or Aztec Chevrolet and H-E-B toy drive.

Another prime example: Two Moreno students, Ariana Hinojosa and Fatima Arrellano, are leading an effort by the National Junior Honor Society to sponsor a bake sale Saturday in the Bealls parking lot. Theirs is an effort to raise money to replace what was lost.

Their message: “The school has our backs, it is time for us to have its back.”

Everybody they talked to is in agreement that they want to help. “They were pretty cool with it,” Hinojosa said. And we are as well.

As for the vandals and thieves, we hope someone will turn them in anonymously to the police for the $1,000 rewards offered by Coastal Bend Crime Stoppers (362-0206 or coastalbendcrimestoppers.com). Perhaps some stiff fines and jail time will correct their thinking and actions.

Or maybe, as in the Grinch TV special, they will grow a heart someday, and learn to care about others more than their own warped, selfish motives.